After our arrival to Gyumri and a coffee, we were boarding a marshrutka (with a fairly impatient driver) for the trip to the Marmashen Monastery (Մարմարաշեն).

We kicked if of with a guided tour around the monastery (dating back to the tenth century) and its churches, before making the walk down to the Akhurian River – for a final sip of Ararat brandy.